In the labyrinth of modern business, words and sentences are like the sword and shield of a knight. Every entity, regardless of its size, relies on writing to articulate its vision, values, and offerings. From behemoth banks, luxurious hotels, hospitals, and construction firms to modern-day startups, the art of writing is omnipresent and has been going on since the medieval ages.
Writings as such will baffle you with the appearance of beautiful brochures, colorful magazines, leaflets, product labels, websites, and other printable and digital pieces that might even come as a surprise. Professional copywriters delicately write company policies, annual reports, and contractual letters because the content they weave expresses narratives of the work done by the company, the customers they manage, their services, and the promises made to their customers. This ubiquitous art of communication, aptly termed corporate writing, is the bedrock of organizational identity and outreach strategies.
Alarming concerns
The digital age has propelled this art form into the limelight, prompting even mid-level enterprises and sprawling conglomerates that were off-grid (away from the e-world) to harness its potential. You can realize how frantic they are by simply stepping outside on the streets. You will find at least one spelling or grammatical error on those colorful billboards, product labels, or food menus aimed at attracting consumers and customers alike. When you go to shopping malls, you will see shopboys from big brands handing out leaflets filled with uncanny pictures and grotesque content that serves no purpose.
How about those hard-to-read instruction manuals for your electronic gadgets or the overly dramatic school pamphlets telling how great they are with every superlative adjective and adverb they know? How about marketing adverts boasting their services as No. 1 with jargon that even an IELTS 9 holder can’t compete with? Also, copied content is commonly used and easily discerned in many magazines and booklets of big companies you see today. Some companies are even getting copyright strikes.
Corporate content like this in Bangladesh is typical, but every organization tries to do better with limited resources. This progress was slow until a while ago, but a massive spark is causing uproar. Organizations finally understand the importance of powerful content that can seriously communicate with the audience. This paradigm shift is because of the rise in entrepreneurial ventures in the country, with over a thousand startups trying to take market shares away from the established players. As these startups champion novel modes of communication, veteran players look rusty in front of them, and hence, they are compelled to recalibrate their strategies and embrace change.
The need to stay afloat
Amidst this whirlwind of change, industry leaders and corporate giants are still navigating uncharted waters, armed with checklists laden with imperatives. The question is: do they possess the requisite resources to chart this course successfully? While many boast in-house marketing or communications teams, they are now enlisting the expertise of third-party agencies to address their unique writing needs to compete with startups and other international leaders, whether in Bangla, English, or another language.
But what are these agencies that they are leaning towards? The one-size-fits-all approach of traditional marketing agencies often falls short in this realm. Crafting guidelines, policy documents, contract papers, or company profiles demands a tailored approach that resonates with a larger target audience, helps to stand out amidst competitors, and aligns with organizational values. This delicate approach can only be delivered by specialized agencies and individuals attuned to the intricacies of business communication.
Specialist and boutique agencies
Mastering the art of corporate writing is no mean feat; it requires finesse, experience, and an intimate understanding of diverse industries. Freelancers, while cost-effective, often lack the breadth of knowledge necessary to navigate the complexities of corporate communication and the multi-leveled quality assurance and corporate touch that come from agencies. Hence, specialist and boutique agencies catering exclusively to this niche are rising.
POV: How do they (the client) work?
Once the baton is passed to these specialized agencies, the implementation phase unfolds, revealing a tapestry of processes unique to each company’s (client’s) DNA. However, unlike projects governed by rigid protocols and standardized processes, corporate writing projects unfold amidst a landscape devoid of established industry-wide standards. Hence, agencies catering to these services are developing contractual policies and delivery methods unique to each client that might deviate from regular conventions.
Nevertheless, there is a growing lenience towards AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and tools based on open-sourced AI, but are they the future? Many find these tools helpful, but only experts (who know what they want, most likely the copywriters or designers themselves) in prompt engineering can get the most out of these tools. Then again, when your typical marketing or communications team comes in, all hell breaks loose. The quality is so unstable and far-reaching that one can now easily distinguish between AI-written and human-written content, for which many in the business world are yet to accept this as the future. These AI approaches can hardly understand the concept of humane content that connects with the emotional spectrum of the audience.
The leaders and big bosses
Contracts are sealed with ink, milestones are tracked meticulously using software like Microsoft Project or Primavera, and feedback sessions unfold in person, fostering a culture of collaboration and excellence. Project updates are kept as project diaries, and document control reigns supreme, driven by a relentless pursuit of quality and compliance with regulatory standards. Proofreads are done multiple times, while the content is fitted to designs with proper pagination and maneuvering.
The need to uphold ISO and obtain excellence standards in the industry is strongly inherent among the leaders. Hence, they allocate a higher budget of lakhs and even millions for longer projects spanning months and sometimes years. So, they screen agencies better, such that the roles of project managers and technical coordinators become much more vital. These companies are less likely to hire freelancers and often require assurance from higher management within the agency regarding quality control.
The newcomers and off-grid companies
In stark contrast, startups, off-grid companies, and small-scale enterprises adopt a more agile approach characterized by flexibility, speed, and digital savvy. With lean crews and digital tools like Slack, Trello, and Teams, they navigate projects easily, prioritizing efficiency and innovation. While this approach offers unparalleled agility, it also demands meticulous attention to detail and a penchant for adaptability, as the period for such projects is very short, spanning weeks. However, many of these companies fail to allocate a proper budget for this, limiting it to thousands only, as some might fail to recognize the importance of communication. Some might even lack the budget, so what is their go-to solution? Freelancers!
Navigating the terrain ahead
As the wheels of corporate writing continue to turn, one thing remains certain: the journey is as diverse as the companies themselves. Some may decry the rigidity of established processes, while others extol their accountability and quality assurance virtues. Regardless of the path chosen, success hinges on a delicate balance of creativity, discipline, and adaptability.
Aditya Basunia is a seasoned copywriter and content manager with a track record of 75+ successful projects, from startups to industry giants and conglomerates. He is known for his corporate writing, design, and contractual drafting expertise. He also works as a full-time civil engineer at a leading consultancy MNC in Bangladesh, focusing on project management.
aurobasunia@gmail.com